Pages

Wednesday, 10 October 2012

She's hooked: Heist (Itunes #1)

If there's one thing I love the most, it's people with a great passion for something. Their whole lives evolve around it, and from the moment you met them (well, I didn't actually met them, but the first time I saw their videos), you know that there will be nothing standing in their way. Yesterday, the 9th of October, came a new album out. The Heist. And I'm completely, utterly hooked.

First of all, this is rap. But not Rap As You Know It. It's more. The great duo behind this album are Macklemore (Ben Haggerty) and Ryan Lewis (the producer). Also there's Andrew Joslyn (violin), Owour Arunga (trumpet), Zach Fleury (drums, guitar, bass), and Noah Goldberg (piano). Macklemore was born and raised in Seattle, and released a few albums on his own until he decided to collaborate with Ryan Lewis in October 2012. The Agency Group picked them up, and his first break-through in Europe came in June 2012, with this spot for Miller Beer:

And here's the whole song. It really gets stuck in your head, and I think that this is the most commercial song on the whole album. And that's fine. Really. Otherwise I wouldn't be so completely in love with this album. Macklemore goes further; he picks heavy subjects for his songs and I almost feel like he wants to start discussions. What kind of subjects? Gay-marriage, racism, materialism, loneliness, freedom of choice, drugs, just about everything that's wrong with society these days. And it doesn't get too heavy, Lewis and Macklemore are touching the edge, but never stepping over it. With a lot of self reflection Macklemore raps his way through the music. It's catchy, but also a little bit dark. Raw.

This song is called "Wing$", such a genius title (if you listen to it, you'll know what I mean) and oh my, I never wanted Kicks, but I exactly know what Macklemore is trying to say. Materialism. It's so great how they have put this song together; the story he's telling, the music behind it.. Oh, and ofcourse the discussions he's bringing up with this song:

Another great song from the album is Same Love, featuring Mary Lambert:

The clip is just about amazing. And the song.. The melody is just so.. Happy? I think that it's wisely chosen; for me it feels like what hope would sound like. Does that sound weird? Also Macklemore tells us about his uncles, who are gay and how he saw them then, and how he sees now. And Mary Lambert's voice is really beautiful. It was released on July 18th, 2012, in support of Washington State's Referendum 74 regarding gay marriage. (Which is bringing up huge discussions in the commentbox on Youtube..)

1.

"Ten Thousand Hours"

4:10

2.

"Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton)"

4:18

3.

"Thrift Shop (feat. Wanz)"

3:56

4.

"Thin Line (feat. Buffalo Madonna)"

4:16

5.

"Same Love (feat. Mary Lambert)"

5:20

6.

"Make the Money"

3:45

7.

"Neon Cathedral (feat. Allen Stone)"

4:34

8.

"BomBom (feat. The Teaching)"

4:56

9.

"White Walls (feat. ScHoolboy Q & Hollis)"

3:40

10.

"Jimmy Iovine (feat. Ab-Soul)"

3:53

11.

"Wing$"

5:00

12.

"A Wake (feat. Evan Roman)"

3:46

13.

"Gold (feat. Eighty4 Fly)"

4:12

14.

"Starting Over (feat. Ben Bridwell)"

4:11

15.

"Cowboy Boots"

4:18

16.

"Castle"

4:18

17.

"My Oh My"

4:17

18.

"Victory Lap"

3:34

This is the full tracklist of the album. I guessed that it would be a little bit too much to put all the songs in this article, but I hope you will still look them up to listen to. Because they are worth it. It's really variated, for example in "BomBom" doesn't Macklemore rap at all, it's just instruments (but the beat is built up brilliantly) and "Thrift Shop" is one of the most catchy songs I've ever heard. The whole album is just great. I can't believe that I haven't noticed this duo before; and I wanted to share it with you guys. I know not everyone will like it, but I do think that we will hear a lot more from Macklemore and Lewis in the future. I know what's the first thing I will do in the morning; going to the local music shop to see if they have this album.

But first, I'm going to fall asleep nicely, surrounded by this wonderful music.